The works of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

Chāndogyopaniṣadbhāṣyam

Bhashya

Bhashya

स एवं जातः यावदायुषं पुनः पुनर्घटीयन्त्रवद्गमनागम-नाय कर्म कुर्वन् कुलालचक्रवद्वा तिर्यग्भ्रमणाय यावत्कर्म-णोपात्तमायुः तावज्जीवति ।तमेनं क्षीणायुषं प्रेतं मृतं दिष्टंकर्मणा निर्दिष्टं परलोकं प्रति-यदि चेज्जीवन् वैदिके कर्मणिज्ञाने वा अधिकृतः- तमेनं मृतम् इतः अस्माद्ग्रामात् अग्नयेअग्न्यर्थम् ऋत्विजो हरन्ति पुत्रा वा अन्त्यकर्मणे ।यतएव इत आगतः अग्नेः सकाशात् श्रद्धाद्याहुतिक्रमेण, यतश्चपञ्चभ्योऽग्निभ्यः संभूतः उत्पन्नः भवति, तस्मै एव अग्नयेहरन्ति स्वामेव योनिम् अग्निम् आपादयन्तीत्यर्थः ॥

In plain words

Having been born, a man lives out his allotted lifespan, spinning round and round through actions like a bucket on a water-wheel or a potter's wheel, moving back and forth across births until his karma-earned life runs out. When his life is spent and he passes away—provided he was qualified for Vedic rites or knowledge while living—the priests or his sons carry his lifeless body from the village to the funeral fire. Just as he originally came from the fire through the successive stages of offerings beginning with faith, and was born from the five fires, so they now carry him back to that very fire, returning him to his original source.

Close to the Sanskrit

That same one, born, as long as life repeatedly like a water-wheel for coming and going actions doing, like a potter's wheel for horizontal wandering as much as life acquired by karma lives. Him whose life is exhausted, departed, dead, destined by karma to the other world towards-if indeed alive in Vedic action or in knowledge qualified-him dead from here from this village to fire for the fire purpose priests carry sons or for final action; from which indeed here he came from fire's presence through the sequence of faith-oblations, and from which five fires produced, born becomes, to that very fire they carry, causing him to reach his own womb, fire, thus is the meaning.